Staring
by AdmHawthorne
Summary: Maura gets caught staring.


**One shot**

**Characters aren't mine (I also have a tendency not to proof my stuff, so, if you hit a missing word or typo, please hit me in the head and let me know.) Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

"Maura, you're doing that thing you do again." Jane finished off her beer and waved a server down for another.

"Jane, you're going to have to be more specific than that. You know I don't care for it when you're so vague. What, _exactly_, am I doing?" Maura continued to sip on her glass of wine as she frowned at the smirking detective sitting across the booth from her. "Also, why are you smirking? We haven't said anything to each other in over two minutes."

"I'm smirking because you're doing that thing you do, and I think it's funny." Jane thanked the server for her beer. "I keep telling you that you do it, and you always say I'm wrong, but I _know_, Maura. I think you should just come out and say it. It'd just make things easier."

"What things? What am I doing? What are you talking about? Jane, really, you're being frustrating. Can't you just tell me what you're talking about?" The doctor gave the brunette her best serious face, straightening her back and frowning slightly. "You know how much I hate it when you're vague, Jane."

"You're cute when you're frustrated," Jane winked. Setting her bottle down on the table between them, she scooted around until her back was against the wall, right arm slung over the back of the booth, left arm draped across the table. "I bet your ex's used to frustrate you all the time just get that," she looked back over at the blonde, "_That_," she pointed at the doctor, "Cute little pouty face thing you've got going on right now to happen. Didn't they?"

"I really don't know what you mean." Maura's lips tightened into a narrow line. "You know, Jane, you're really beginning to anger me."

"Can't have that," Jane's smirk widened into a grin. "You might get so mad you do something else cute."

"Really, Jane?" The doctor's voice was becoming strained, her face taunt with anger and frustration. "Your teasing is unwelcomed today. You know both of us have had a trying week. This was supposed to be our time to relax from the week's stresses. Why do you insist on increasing my stress instead of helping me to decrease my stress as I would help you?" Maura set her wine glass down, leaning back into the booth, and placing her folded hands in her lap. "I thought friends were supposed to support each other." Her voice was sullen.

"They are. Hey, come on, Maur, I'm just teasing you a little. Don't get mad." The detective reached across the table, leaving her left hand, palm up, as an offering. "Okay?" She raised her eyebrows, making her best 'I'm Sorry' face.

"No, not okay." Maura continued to pout, but she placed her right hand in Jane's left. "I still want to know what you're talking about."

Jane smiled, her eyes dancing with a mischievous gleam as she wrapped her fingers around Maura's hand, keeping her in place. "Well, if you really want to know…" Her voice trailed off, letting the implied 'I'll tell you but you won't like it' sit in the air.

"Yes, I do. You know I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know."

"Okay, then," The brunette gave a shrug, "You were staring at my boobs."

"I was not!" Maura yanked her hand away, placing it back in her lap. "Jane, I can't _believe_ you would," Her breath caught as her skin flared red. "You cannot possibly think that I was," the doctor's breathing became more panicked, "Jane, really, I," she began to gasp for air, her eyes growing wider as she realized she was on the onset stages of hyperventilation. But, try as she may, she couldn't stop the impending attack.

Quickly, Jane rushed from her side of the booth to slide into Maura's. "Hey, hey… look at me." She grabbed Maura's face between her hands, forcing the doctor to look her in the eyes. "Breath." She spoke in calming tones. "Just take deep breathes in and out, okay?" Her dark eyes were full of worry and concern. "Just breathe. That's it. Calm down. It's okay." She moved her hands from the blonde's face to her shoulders as Maura's breathing started to become regular again. "That's better. You okay?"

"Yes, I," Maura answered in a breathy tone, her voice weak, "I don't know what happened." She glanced back at Jane, her eyes running quickly over the detective. "Oh." She flushed. "I see what the problem is." She closed her eyes, her hands visibly shaking as she rested them on Jane's arms.

"Lying," the detective deadpanned, "It makes you hyperventilate."

"Yes." Maura shot back, her voice becoming slightly stronger. "I'm well aware, thank you. I was unaware, however, that I was, in fact, lying." She swallowed a few times, trying to reestablish some control of herself.

"Clearly," Jane dropped her hands, allowing the doctor some space. "You going to be okay?"

"Yes, eventually," Maura was beginning to gain color again, "I honestly didn't realize, consciously, I was doing that. It's terribly inappropriate. I can't believe I'd be so crass."

"But you _can_ believe you'd stare at my boobs?" Jane's eye brow shot up?

"Well, I… yes," the blonde sighed. "Yes, I believe that I would. They are very pleasant to look at." With that comment, the doctor's hazel eyes glanced down at the objects in question.

"Hey!" Jane put a hand up in front of her chest. "Do you mind?"

"Well, yes, a little. Your hand is blocking my view." Maura was smirking now. Her eyes dancing with something Jane couldn't quite place.

"Well, I _do_ mind. Friends don't stare at friend's boobs, Maura." The detective kept her hand over her chest, her face growing a deep red.

"No?" Maura tilted her head to the side, a smile playing across her features. "Well, I know I've seen you staring at mine on a number of occasions. So, if friends don't stare at friends… boobs," she made a face. "Really, Jane, that's so crude." She gave a little frown. "At any rate, if friends don't _do_ that, and we _do_ that to each other, then what does that make us?" The doctor's eyes narrowed.

"Confused, apparently," Jane grumbled, dropping her hands into her lap. "You know, this would probably be a good time to point out to you that you specifically said I wouldn't be your type if we liked woman." She pursed her lips in thought. "Also, we're both straight, so that does kind of leave us at friends, don't you think?"

"We could be bisexual." Maura countered, head still tilted.

"Could be, but I'm not nearly drunk enough for that."

"Jane, you're never drunk when you start at my… well," Maura gave her chest a little shake causing Jane's eyes to flicker in that direction for a split second.

"That was wrong, Maura." Jane sat back in the bench. "Most people would have some sort of in-depth conversation about feelings and how they've never done whatever before and that they're not sure and... stuff."

"I find that we're not 'most people'." Maura leaned against the wall, facing the detective in the small booth.

"Yeah, we're not." Jane turned her head to face the blonde again. "So, what now?"

"We say it and decide which direction forward we'll move."

"Just like that?"

"Yes, just like that. Why must people make these things more complicated that they need to be? Sometimes human social interaction makes no sense to me."

"Yeah, I noticed." Jane made a clicking sound with her tongue. "I think I'd like to give it a try. What about you?"

"Yes, I'd be agreeable to that." Maura leaned forward and placed a hand on Jane's shoulder to turn the brunette more toward her. "Are you certain?"

"No, but I want to anyway." Jane's eyes ran to Maura's lips. "I don't really like to over think things."

"Yes, I'm aware." Maura smiled gently.

"I'd be offended, but I'm distracted." Jane said, leaning closer to Maura. "I always thought we'd be in a more romantic place, you know? Candle light, soft music… some sort of fancy food."

"Really? I always assumed it'd be here." Maura inched closer to the detective. "Statistically speaking, we spend more time here than we do at other public locations, and we spend more time in public than we do in private."

"You _would_ know that." Jane smiled.

"Yes, I would." Maura nodded slightly, her face less than inch from Jane's.

Closing the distance, Jane placed a chaste kiss on Maura's lips. "Let's go home, to your place. We'll do all that talking stuff and then… I don't know. Something?"

"I could think of a few things."

"Why are we still here?" Jane quickly slid from the booth, threw down enough money to cover the bill and tip, and held a hand out for the blonde. "Can I drive?"

"No." Maura replied as she sauntered in front of Jane to the door, a smile beaming from her face.


End file.
